Putin's nuclear ultimatum. What does the Russian dictator achieve
In a rare address to the nation, Putin clearly made it clear that he plans to annex large territories of Ukraine next week and is ready to use nuclear weapons to protect his conquests. “If our country's territorial integrity is threatened, we undoubtedly use all available means to protect Russia and our people. It's not bluff, ”he warned.
Video Day Putin's comments appeared immediately after the announcement of September 20 that extraordinary referendums of joining the Russian Federation will take place in four regions of Ukraine, which are now partially occupied by Russia. Voting began on September 23 in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, as well as in Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in the south of Ukraine. The result of these referendums is not in doubt.
Most observers believe that the results have already been determined by the Kremlin. The vast majority of votes for the "for" will inevitably confirmed, the occupied regions of Ukraine will be officially annexed and included in the Russian Federation. It is then expected that Moscow will announce that any further military action of Ukraine will be regarded as an attack on Russia itself, hence the Putin threat of nuclear response.
The Russian head is betting that the possibility of nuclear escalation will convince Western leaders to stop weapons Ukraine and instead persuade them to put pressure on Kyiv so that it agrees to an agreement, which resulted in about 20% of Ukrainian land under the control of Russia. Putin's willingness to do such direct nuclear extortion is a sign of his despair, as it continues to fall off as an invasion of Ukraine.
When Putin began his invasion on February 24, most Russians were waiting for a short and victorious campaign, which would put an end to Ukraine's independence and return the country to the Kremlin orbit. It became a catastrophic miscalculation. The Ukrainian people did not welcome Russian soldiers who invaded as liberators, but united against a common enemy and began resistance. Russian troops were defeated near Kiev and were forced to retreat from the north of Ukraine.
In the south and east, they fought to the last. The worst part is that Putin's army was completely defeated in the northeast of Ukraine in early September and left this region disorderly. Almost seven months after the invasion of Ukraine, it becomes increasingly obvious that Russia is moving to one of the most humble military defeats in the history of the country.
The Kremlin's situation looks so gloomy that international observers have begun to argue whether the Putin regime will be able to either survive such a fiasco. The Russian army suffered catastrophic losses in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers were killed, more than 1000 tanks were captured or destroyed. Not surprisingly, the Putin's invasion forces are deeply demoralized, the number of reports of mass resignations and desertion is increasing.
Typically, the mobilization measures announced at the same time with Putin's nuclear ultimatum, also continued their military service and increased fines for soldiers who refuse to fight. As Russia is deteriorating, the Kremlin's international position is destroyed, the Kremlin is destroyed. The Western world has imposed unprecedented sanctions in response to the invasion and, it seems, finally concluded that it was necessary to put an end to many years of growing energy dependence on Moscow.
Russian troops are under investigation for war crimes, and Putin is increasingly considered an international exile. Even in the post -Soviet space, Moscow's influence almost daily weakens. Kazakhstan publicly severed with Russia and has recently made it clear that now China has become a key partner. In the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan resumed fighting with Armenia, openly ignoring Russia's peacekeeping role.
On the western borders of Russia, Finland and Sweden are ready to join NATO, and the Baltic countries have introduced a ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens. Even the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, whose political survival is almost entirely dependent on the Kremlin, resisted the ruthless pressure of Russia in order for Belarus to join the invasion.
In the current state of affairs, the Russian invasion of Ukraine may well be the greatest geopolitical mistake of the twenty -first century. The seriousness of the situation can no longer be denied, and now it seems that it has finally penetrated into Putin's "bubble", formed from courtiers and sub -labers. After a few months, the statement that everything was "according to plan", the Russian dictator was forced to admit that decisive measures were needed to prevent the catastrophe.
Putin insists that his threat of nuclear weapons is not a bluff. There is no way to find out in advance whether it is true. Despite this uncertainty, it is clear that the international community simply cannot allow itself to intimidate this way. If the West responded to Putin's nuclear weapons by refusing Ukraine, it would have been devastating for international security, and the entire concept of non -proliferation of nuclear weapons would be sent to a dump of history.
Instead, we would enter a new dangerous era of chronic instability marked with nuclear blackmail and aggressive wars. The only way to avoid this fate is to resist Putin until it's too late. In the coming days, the event should give Moscow an unknown signal that nuclear weapons are not an acceptable tool for negotiating.
They should clarify the devastating costs that Russia will have to face if it dares to cross the red border of nuclear weapons and demonstrate the Kremlin that they do not blaspheme. It is now time to emphasize that the support of Ukrainian statehood is not subject to discussion by increasing the supply of weapons. Putin knows that he is moving to the catastrophe in Ukraine, but hopes that the fear of nuclear apocalypse will allow him to victory from defeat.